This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Many motor vehicles now come equipped with some variation of a camera or sensor system to provide real-time monitoring or viewing of an area near the motor vehicle. For example, cameras, sensors, or both are often positioned on the front of the vehicle or on the rear of the motor vehicle. The cameras and sensors can detect the areas surrounding the vehicle that may or may not be otherwise viewable with conventional mirrors. Such cameras and sensors can be used to assist the vehicle operator in parking or maneuvering the vehicle during normal operation, for example.
To provide a consistent field of view, many camera and sensor systems do not include a cover and are fixedly directed at the space they are intended to monitor. Uncovered cameras and sensors are prone to damage from environmental conditions and exposure, including damage from dirt and stone chipping, and also from human intervention, including theft. To better protect the camera, sensor, or other device, some vehicles utilize a deployable system in which an electric motor, for example, drives the camera between an open or “deployed” position and a closed or “stowed” position.
While conventional deployable systems position a camera or sensor between a deployed position and a stowed position, such systems are not usable in conjunction with a movable closure panel such as a tailgate or liftgate in more than one deployed position. For example, while conventional deployable systems position a camera or sensor in a deployed position for use when the closure panel is in a closed position, use of the camera or sensor to monitor areas surrounding the vehicle when the closure panel is in an open position (i.e., a tailgate of a truck is lowered or a liftgate of a sport utility vehicle (SUV) is in a raised position) is not possible due to the position of the tailgate or liftgate relative to the vehicle.
For example, when the camera or sensor is in the deployed position, the camera or sensor is typically positioned at an angle to view an area behind the vehicle. When the liftgate is moved into the raised position or the tailgate is moved into the lowered position, the camera or sensor remains in the same deployed position relative to the liftgate or tailgate. As such, the camera or sensor views an area above the vehicle in the case of a liftgate or the ground under the tailgate due to the change in position of the liftgate or tailgate relative to the vehicle. Maintaining the relative position of the camera or sensor and the liftgate or tailgate renders the camera or sensor ineffective in viewing an area behind the vehicle should the vehicle be operated with the liftgate in the raised position or the tailgate in the lowered position.